The following nominations have been considered for prioritisation by Committee for two consecutive years and are no longer eligible for automatic consideration for prioritisation. If additional information becomes available a new nomination could be submitted for consideration for prioritisation.

KTP name

Years considered

Reasons the Threatened Species Scientific Committee (the Committee) recommended that the nomination was not prioritised

1080 poison baiting used for the control of vertebrate 'pest' species

2007 & 2008

The use of 1080 poison is subject to a controlled, licensing scheme and there is a limited amount of evidence available regarding the impact of the process on non-target species. However, there is some evidence to suggest the process is impacting on the Dingo, and an investigation of the conservation status of the Dingo may be pursued, depending on resources.

Death or injury to marine species as a direct result of boat strike on the east coast of Australia

2007 & 2008

The Committee recognises that boatstrike is a known cause of death for individuals of Dugong and some turtle species in certain areas. However, there is insufficient evidence available to assess the impact of the process on these species at a population level and a lack of data regarding the impact of the process across its national extent.

Ecosystem degradation, habitat loss and species decline due to urban, semi-urban, industrial & other similar development (e.g. infrastructure development) and subsequent human occupation affecting nationally critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable species or ecological communities or those likely to become so

2009 & 2010
Resubmitted and considered 2011 & 2012

It is a very broad KTP nomination, to the extent that it encompasses the effects of a number of other listed and/or nominated KTPs. Full assessment would take a considerable amount of resources and would duplicate work completed or underway. The proposed KTP is insufficiently defined, extending across multiple ecosystems and multiple sub-threats (land clearance, invasive species, greenhouse gases, predation by feral foxes and cats etc.). The definition would require significant refining to distinguish it from other KTPs. In addition, an assessment of the KTP's eligibility for listing would require extensive examination of the impact on listed threatened species and communities and implications for planning and other regulations in multiple jurisdictions. The Australian Government has commenced development of a Sustainable Population Strategy for Australia, taking into account the economic, social and environmental impacts of such a strategy. This KTP would require extensive consultation across a range of portfolios and sectors and would likely duplicate work undertaken in other areas. The listing of this process as a KTP is unlikely to be an effective mechanism by which to achieve any tangible reduction in ecological impacts from urban development.

Ecosystem degradation, habitat loss and species decline in arid and semi-arid Australia due to the invasion of buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris and C. pennisetiformis)

2012 & 2013

Buffel grass is having a negative impact on biodiversity in Australia's rangelands. It threatens biodiversity by out-competing native vegetation and increasing fuel loads to produce hotter and more intense wildfires. Buffel grass is described as a 'transformer weed' in the Australian rangelands. It is widely considered to be the most debilitating 'fatal injury weed of natural ecosystems in arid and semi-arid Australia and directly or indirectly displaces and threatens a large percentage of native and endemic plants and animals.
The Committee notes that this threat is recognised in the overarching KTP 'Novel biota and their impact on biodiversity'. Novel biota refers to organisms that are new to an ecosystem, and the scope of this broader KTP covers all invasive species including weeds. However, the Committee recommends that specific threat abatement guidelines be developed to address this threat.

Fatal injury to marine mammals, reptiles, and other large marine species through boat strike on the Australian coast

2012 & 2013

Adverse impacts of this process on individuals of marine wildlife have been recorded, but the data in the nomination relate mostly to marine turtles in one geographic area (the coast of urban parts of Queensland). While the nomination presented important information, the case for the threat being significant at the species level is not quantified.

Human population growth is a major driver of impacts on the environment, as recognised in a range of government documents. However, it is a process that is influenced by a broad range of economic and social drivers, only some of which are under governmental control. Of those that may be influenced by government policy, many of these are in sectors beyond the control of the EPBC Act. Where the EPBC Act may be effective, a human population growth KTP would overlap significantly with existing KTPs, such as Land Clearance and Greenhouse Gases. Additionally, since this nomination was received, the Australian Government has commenced development of a Sustainable Population Strategy for Australia, taking into account the economic, social and environmental impacts of such a strategy. A human population growth KTP would require extensive consultation across a range of portfolios and sectors and would likely duplicate work undertaken in other areas. The listing of this process as a KTP is unlikely to be an effective mechanism by which to achieve any tangible reduction in ecological impacts from human population growth.

Loss of habitat and native flora due to expansion of the weed Lippia (Phyla canescens)'

2008 & 2009

The impacts of this process will be addressed through the assessment of ''The introduction of novel biota and its impact on biodiversity" key threatening process nomination. Therefore there is no additional conservation benefit from considering this nomination separately.

The nominations relates to the proposed impact that underwater sounds generated by human activities affect several types of responses in fish, crustaceans, molluscs, marine mammals and marine reptiles. The current understanding of the science, as presented in the nomination, demonstrates relatively small impacts (mostly behavioural) over short time scales. The case for this process leading to any species becoming threatened, or a threatened species being elevated to a higher category, is not made quantitatively. The principal effects of the threats are to marine mammals and these are widely recognised and addressed in current policy as applied to environmental assessment of applications to conduct seismic activities. Without considerably more science providing a compelling case for impacts of a scale that poses a threat to the persistence of species other than cetaceans a KTP determination would have little effect on current policy. It was therefore not recommended for inclusion on the 2014 FPAL. The nomination is not eligible for automatic reconsideration in 2015 PPAL.

Recreational game fishing - competition game fishing especially for sharks, tuna and marlins

2012 & 2013

The physiological impacts and survival rates of catch-and-release of game fish are important issues that require further research and consideration. While the nomination presented important information, the case for the threat being significant at the species level is not quantified.

The invasion, establishment and spread of Lantana camara impacts negatively on native biodiversity including many EPBC listed species and communities.

2008 & 2009

The impacts of this process will be addressed through the assessment of "The introduction of novel biota and its impact on biodiversity" key threatening process nomination. Therefore there is no additional conservation benefit from considering this nomination separately.

Key threatening process - possible future consideration

The following nominations have not been prioritised but are eligible for consideration in the next assessment cycle.

KTP name

Years considered

Reasons the Threatened Species Scientific Committee (the Committee) recommended that the nomination was not prioritised

Fatal injury to marine mammals, reptiles, and other large marine species through boat strike on the Australian coast

2014

The nomination relates to the impact (death or injury) that direct contact with the propeller or hull of boats is having on marine turtles, dugongs, whales and sharks. While there are relatively clear data for adverse impacts of this process on localised populations of threatened species, the case for the threat being nationally significant is not strong. The nomination was therefore not prioritised for inclusion on the 2014 PPAL, however is eligible for consideration for inclusion on the 2015 PPAL

Introduction, establishment, and spread of, and infection by, exotic rust fungi of the order Pucciniales pathogenic on plants of the family Myrtaceae'

2014

Puccinia psidii (Eucalyptus Rust, Guava Rust, Myrtle Rust) is an exotic rust fungus of the Order Pucciniales, of South American origin, pathogenic on plants of the family Myrtaceae. The Committee considers this threatening process is encompassed under the broader 'introduction of novel biota and its impact on biodiversity' Key Threatening Process, noting the scope of this broad KTP covers all invasive species including rusts. The Committee is investigating a way to address this threat through threat abatement mechanisms. The nomination was therefore not prioritised for inclusion on the 2014 PPAL, however is eligible for consideration for inclusion on the 2015 PPAL

The nominated focuses on the impact that sugar gliders(Petaurus breviceps) considered to have been introduced to Tasmania from the mainland are having on tree cavity dependent birds and their eggs by predation. The Committee considered that the evidence presented for this being a threat of national environmental significance is limited and needed to be strengthened. The Committee would require more extensive data of the broader impact to be able to assess the nomination as a key threatening process. The Committee considers that abatement actions to address the threat could be achieved by strengthening recovery plans already in place for the species. The nomination was therefore not prioritised for inclusion on the 2014 PPAL, however is eligible for consideration for inclusion on the 2015 PPAL.